<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>In Adverse Hours by VerdiWithin</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114484">In Adverse Hours</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin'>VerdiWithin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Talisman [47]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lore Olympus (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birth &amp; Death, Controlling Parent, F/M, Friendship, Gossip &amp; Slander, Infidelity, Love, Marriage, Mind Control, Office Sex, Treachery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:34:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,739</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Persephone and Hades have to attend several parties in their honor. Persephone is helping Psyche to plan her wedding.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aphrodite/Ares (Lore Olympus), Eros/Psyche (Lore Olympus), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hera/Zeus (Lore Olympus)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Talisman [47]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1497371</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>267</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In Adverse Hours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>CW: Apollo is mentioned.</p><p>Previously in this series: Persephone and Hades are married, and Demeter is extremely angry about it. Eros and Psyche are engaged.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>We're occupying the couch together, each of us deep in our own pursuits. Hades is doing a crossword puzzle, with a stack of reports on the coffee table, waiting their turn. I'm tapping on my laptop, answering emails, but my computer isn't holding my attention at all. I keep glancing up to study my husband instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His thick, pale hair droops over one eye. He absently pushes it back over his ear, but a minute later it flops down once more. He's using the pen I gave him. I feel a smile coming on. Doing a crossword with ink? What kind of show-off did I marry? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He makes a sudden “Ah!” of satisfaction, and writes a few strokes, the corner of his mouth quirking up. He's wearing an open-collared gray shirt, and my gaze lingers on the V of skin visible at his throat. He pushes his hair back again, and adjusts his glasses as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wanted you from the first moment I saw you," I blurt. I can feel the heat in my face. Why did I say that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades blinks, clearly having trouble switching gears. "Drunk and passed out? That doesn't seem very attractive."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shake my head. I don't even know if I can explain. "You were so beautiful, and my mother constantly lectured about how men were so dangerous, but you--you were… vulnerable. And--" I blush again, unable to go on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" he breathes, his fascination apparent in his expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sexy. So incredibly sexy. I… I had never felt anything that intense before. It was staggering."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades's mouth opens and closes. His cheeks are flushed just as mine are, and his eyes are riveted on me. "I felt like that too, when I saw you at the Panathenaea. You were the only woman in the world and no one else could ever compare, not in any way."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile, touched by his words. A warm languor pulses through my veins, stirring a throb of wetness between my thighs. "Kore," he goes on. "I have a confession."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" I smile, and put down my computer so I can slide up to him, leaning against his arm. I suspect I know what it is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-- I don't actually remember what happened that night at your mother's house. I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>drunk."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't?" For a long time, I figured he probably didn't, but then he mentioned it in his proposal. How can this be?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head, looking sad. "I'm so sorry! I wish I did. I had to go to the Fates to get the memory back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh." I think it over. “That must have been really weird to watch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, yeah. I was pretty angry with myself for being such an ass. How did you ever manage to forgive me for that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forgive you? I thought it was very sweet. I mean, I wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally</span>
  </em>
  <span> naive, I knew you were drunk, so I didn’t think it was real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He traces one finger lightly along my jaw. “More real than anything else I had done before that moment. I only wish I’d been sober.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you were sober, you wouldn’t have been there. I can’t regret it. Seeing you like that, it’s part of what gave me the courage to fight against my mother, to make her let me go to Olympus. I-- I really wanted to see you again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nod. “Yeah. I didn’t think anything would come of it, but I didn’t care. I just… wanted to be around you. I mean, in addition to gaining independence and going to school and stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades shakes his head slowly, then holds his arms open. I slide into his embrace, deeply content to be held by him. “I had no idea. You make me feel things I can’t even identify. You make me feel like I matter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I cup his cheek and look into his eyes. "You know what I'm going to say to that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods, blushing slightly, then looking away. "It's not easy breaking old habits. Not even ways of thinking about myself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know, Smush. Don't worry. I'm in this for the long haul."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His easy smile charms me. I want to stay here like this in his arms all day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bright and early Monday morning, we leave the elevator at Floor 98. The renovations of the top floor have already begun, so over the weekend my office has been reconfigured for the two of us to share. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The waiting room has been hastily expanded since last week, and there’s a new desk for Epimelis next to Kynora’s desk. They’re both already here, so I cheerfully wish them a good morning. Hades pauses to speak to his PA, and I move towards the inner office. A satyr is at work on my door, stenciling </span>
  <em>
    <span>Their Majesties</span>
  </em>
  <span> in place of my name and former title. I stop cold, wobbling from a sudden sensation of dizziness. Everything is moving so</span>
  <em>
    <span> fast. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t even hear Hades approaching. “Are you all right?” he says, right by my ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like wishful thinking. Excuse us,” he says to the satyr. We step through the door and close it, then go sit down on the couch. “You look overwhelmed, Sweetness. Do you want to talk about it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay, really. Just sometimes little things catch me by surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, of course they do. Listen, do you want to put off this party of Hecate’s? I kind of doubt we can make Hera or Amphitrite stop, but--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no! That’s the one I’m actually looking forward to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinks in surprise. “Are you really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Haven’t I made it clear enough that I love it here? And besides, you said the magic word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what is that?” His mouth curls in amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fireworks! You know how much I love fireworks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughs. “It’s lucky for me that you are so easy to please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, I don’t know if </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> true. Maybe I should make you work for it more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I am willing to put in the work. Particularly of the kind you seem to like best.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile, feeling heat seeping through my body and pooling in my loins. I’m enjoying this banter, but I’m not quite willing to back it up. There’s only one door between us and the public space, and I don’t know how soundproof these walls are. Soundproofing is one of Hades’s major requirements for the new renovations, to both my delight and embarrassment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He senses my reluctance and tones down his intensity, but doesn’t turn it off completely. “You look amazingly sexy in that dress,” he says, breathing gently on my neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Funny, my husband said the same thing this morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where is he? I’ll fight him for you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I straighten his tie for him. “Good luck to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hecate comes in while Hades is still off in a meeting with the marketing team. She sits on the couch and engages me in chitchat while we wait for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How was your weekend?” she asks. “Enjoying married life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very much. We went to visit Rhea, and my brother. It’s great having supportive family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re having more luck getting close to Arion, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. He’s very shy and I can see that it’s going to take some time, but he’s trying. And I’m incredibly grateful that he helped to find me. That must have been very difficult for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Poseidon explained. I still can’t get over Demeter keeping him a secret all this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neither can I. And I can’t picture having an honest discussion with her about this anytime soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I get that, honey. Listen, since we’re alone, can I ask--I thought I found a brand-new plant in that clearing where Demeter was keeping her people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes. That.” I shift uncomfortably. “That was Minthe. My mother transformed her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate smiles. “Yes, I wondered if that might be it. I don’t want to tread on your toes, but would you mind if I study the plant? I thought it might have interesting properties.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I spread my hands. “Feel free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opens suddenly and Hades steps in, looking pleased to see us. I have to restrain myself from leaping up to kiss him. We’ve been apart for less than an hour, why am I so desperate? From the way his eyes caress me as he comes over to join us, I think maybe he feels the same. He sits down on the couch next to me and takes my hand without hesitation. An indescribable feeling of warmth and joy steals over me, and I can’t even concentrate on what Hecate is saying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I look at her and try to focus on her words, but all I can think about is Hades’s hand in mine, and the swirling, chaotic emotions of love, desire, and fascination. I don’t dare look at him. I’ll be completely lost if I do that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hello!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Hecate says suddenly, loudly interrupting herself. “Are either of you paying the slightest attention to a word I’m saying?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks quite annoyed, and I feel horribly guilty. I still can’t look at Hades, but from the corner of my eye I can see him straightening up and squirming a little. “Sorry,” he mumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” I say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate sighs. “As I was saying. Demeter has returned to the Mortal Realm, to her home in Sicily. She is visiting her priestesses again, though not at the same pace she was maintaining before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Zeus let her go, then?” I ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! Yes, he did,” Hecate replies. “After you two left that audience, she pitched a fit. Said she would bring destruction upon the mortals if she didn’t get you back. She gave Zeus an ultimatum.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades lets a fierce, low sound escape him. His hand tightens around mine. “He didn’t mention this to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Hecate says. “I’m sure he didn’t take her seriously. He told her if she tried any nonsense that it would be just like last time, whatever that means.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can feel my jaw tightening, and my eyes widening. Hades and Hecate both notice, and focus on me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what he’s referring to?” Hades asks me.</span>
  <span></span>
</p><p>
 <span>I nod. I don’t say anything. I don’t want to tell him about what his brother did to my mother’s fields when I was small, and how we all struggled for months to recover and rebuild.</span></p><p>
  <span>They exchange a glance when I don’t answer. “Do you think it will work on your mother?” Hecate asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I think that over. My mother was willing to let mortals suffer and die in her original plan, in order to overthrow Zeus’s rule. Hades believes that she can’t effectively do that now, because I’m not willing to help her. Still, my guess is that she means to use all resources available to her to pry me out of the Underworld. I’d let myself forget, for a few days. I’d let myself hope that she would think about what I said, and change her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I don’t. I think she’ll do anything it takes to get me back.” I pause, and sigh. “I was foolish. I wanted to believe that she would just drop it, trust that I’m making a good decision.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s still possible she will,” Hades says. “She’s a rational person.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm, Hades, may I say, you don’t have direct experience with what she’s like where Persephone is concerned,” Hecate says. “I think it’s unlikely, under the circumstances.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Guilt descends on me like a dirty fog. It’s completely unfair to Hades that he should be affected by this ridiculous struggle between my mother and me. He’s dealt with enough people misunderstanding him, for most of his life. I feel awful for dragging him into my stupid family drama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweetness, did you get a sense of what her plan was for gaining control?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nod. “She planned to threaten the mortals’ food supply, though I don’t know by what means. I suppose she intends to introduce crop blight or maybe pests.” I shudder. These are not things I enjoy thinking about. Hades squeezes my hand, understanding my revulsion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, maybe we can do something to prevent that,” Hecate says, thinking aloud. “We can spread the word with others who spend a lot of time in the Mortal Realm, to keep an eye on things. Maybe Artemis would also take an interest, given her domain over plagues.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It gives me a sense of relief to have something concrete to do. “I’ll get right on that,” I say. “There are various other agricultural deities. I’ll ask what they can do to help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I have a fitting in Kompsos’s workroom in order to prepare for a large number of upcoming events. Unfortunately I also have very limited time to do this, so Eros is ruthlessly shoving dresses at me and telling me what they’re for. They fit well and look good, so I just approve everything. My head is whirling with too many choices and too many plans. I can’t keep track and I have to trust others to help me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I come out of the changing room wearing a magnificent creation of white with silver beads that leaves one shoulder bared and the other sporting a twist of fabric like a calla lily. It’s very much a queen gown. “What is this for?” I ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That one’s for Hera’s party,” Eros says, consulting his list. “If you like it, anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fantastic. A perfect choice.” I step up on the platform to allow the hem to be adjusted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With your approval, Your Majesty, we can have a mannequin made to your measurements,” Kompsos suggests. “That way you won’t be personally needed for as many fittings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems like an excellent idea,” I say. “Please do that.” I’m in favor of anything that reduces my commitments. My schedule has become a thing of such complexity that Kynora seems to spend her time doing nothing else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perse, I should tell you something,” Eros says. “I’ve been approached by various companies, asking me to endorse a ready-to-wear fashion line and maybe a perfume.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I gasp in delight. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations, I’m thrilled for you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well thanks, but that’s the thing. They want me because of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re my stylist, you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. The implication being that I would recommend the same stuff to you, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have other clients, don’t you?” I ask. We haven’t discussed his business in a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and getting more, but there’s no question you’re the highest profile. By a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re checking in that it’s okay with me that you have your own product line? I think it’s fantastic. You should go for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bites his lip and bounces in excitement. “You’re sure? I mean, I’d make certain your name isn’t mentioned, or your picture or anything like that, but people would be making assumptions--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s perfectly fine. You’re a businessman, you should do business. I can recommend a good lawyer, if you like.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Heading home from the very first of the parties being held in our honor, I curl up against Hades in the back of the limousine. I’m just a tiny bit drunk, enough that I feel pleasantly floaty but not enough that I’ll suffer a lot tomorrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you hungry?” Hades asks. “We could go to a restaurant. We’re certainly dressed for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The party we attended was a stand-up cocktail affair at Aphrodite’s house. It was very elegant, but there wasn’t a lot of food. Still, it was generous of her to have it when her son is getting married next week. She certainly has the right to have her mind on other things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but nothing fancy. Why don’t we grab some takeout and just bring it home? I need to get out of this bra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades snorts. “Just when I think I couldn’t possibly adore you more, you say something like that. Takeout it is. Anywhere in particular?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, yes, I really want those fried things, from that place?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks at me skeptically for a long moment, then seems to get what I mean. “Oh, the place with the sauces?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Sauce! That’s the one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grins at me, and leans forward to give orders to the driver through the intercom. We settle back into a lovely snuggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, a whole week of being married to me,” Hades observes, his voice rumbling in my ear. “What do you think so far?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I think I’ll sign up for another week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can feel him laughing, but he doesn’t let it out. “Good to hear. I am always open to feedback. From you, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Implying there are other things you’re less willing to hear? Come on, out with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head, mostly amused. “Aphrodite was bragging to people that she’s responsible for bringing us together, that’s all. She was acting like I owe her a debt. And I wouldn’t mind that, but she was being rather arrogant about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, she said something like that to me. I figured on ignoring her. If there’s any debt owed, I don’t think it’s in that direction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s difficult to collect a debt from her, honestly. I don’t much care what she says, as long as it doesn’t bother you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t care. Anyone who wants to claim credit can have it and I’ll send them a personal note of thanks.” Hades smiles, his eyes crinkling with happiness, and I pull him down for a kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lifts me into his lap and holds me tight to his chest. I press against him eagerly, loving his warmth and his scent and his hands moving on my back, alternating massage with almost-tickling. I sigh in happiness, opening my mouth and inviting his tongue with little flicks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It turns out Hades ordered not just the one but </span>
  <em>
    <span>four</span>
  </em>
  <span> crowns for me, and didn’t tell me until the others were delivered. Today I’m wearing the simplest of them, little more than a headband. I feel I need to have an outward symbol of my new status, because Psyche asked me to go with her to the Mortal Realm to discuss her wedding plans with her parents. Last time she visited that place, her mother gave her some herbs to try to control her, the same herbs my mother later used on me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I am determined to protect my friend and see to it that she gets a proper wedding, but I’m also very interested to learn more about what her parents’ involvement with my mother entails. We transfer together, just as we did before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How was that?” I ask. “Could you sense the Narrow Spaces this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche frowns in thought. “I think so,” she replies. “It was dark but I thought there were walls around me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s what it feels like. Next time, try to focus when I reach through, and sense where I’m taking us. You’ll get this, don’t worry. It took me a long time, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nods. “Thank you. I am so glad you are willing to help me. Eros tries, but I think he does not really remember learning these things, so he is not great at explaining.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I want to make a joke about things Eros is probably better at teaching, but I don’t. Psyche is serious and a touch nervous today. I link my arm through hers and we walk together into her father’s palace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche asks a servant for her parents’ whereabouts and shortly we enter a room hung with tapestries, with large windows giving a lovely view of the surrounding countryside, full of cultivated fields. Damaris sits on a stool, sewing a garment in her lap. Nearby, Aristides sits at a desk, looking at a scroll.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Mother. Hello, Father,” Psyche says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The queen and king look up from their work, surprise written in their features. Damaris leaps to her feet, her sewing dropping forgotten to the ground. “Psyche, my sweet girl!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche nods, but makes no move. “Mother, you remember my friend Persephone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman glances at me, her eyes narrowed and shrewd. “Of course I remember Demeter’s wayward daughter,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lovely. Just what I need, a presumptuous mortal. “You should be more careful about the words you use to describe a goddess, mortal woman,” I say, putting ice into my voice. “You are very lucky I am more patient than some.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, goddess,” Aristides says smoothly. “My wife meant no harm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mother,” Psyche whispers urgently. “Persephone is recently married. She is the Queen of the Underworld now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And your daughter has been elevated,” I say. “She has drunk from the cup of immortality and holds a place of honor in Olympus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche spares me a worried glance. This isn’t how we planned to inform her family, but I’m not putting up with disrespect. I can’t afford it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damaris’s eyes go very wide and she wobbles on her feet. I wonder if she’s going to faint. Slowly her eyes lower and she sinks to her knees. “Gentle goddesses. Pray forgive my rudeness.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aristides kneels much more slowly, following his wife’s lead. There’s a jerkiness to his movements that I recognize, in addition to the green glint in his eyes. His wife has green eyes too, but I realize now that she was born with them, and he was not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche has been very upset with her parents’ behavior, but seeing them offering obeisance like this seems to break down some barriers. “Mother, Father! Oh, do not kneel to me! I cannot bear that!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damaris glances at her, then at me, as she rises. “I spoke rashly. I should never be so impudent to the wife of the Unseen One.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sigh quietly. My marriage is the only reason this woman has to give me basic respect? I suppose this is what comes of being so unknown amongst mortals. I will have to think what I can do to build a reputation of my own, separate from either my mother or Hades.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are honored by your visit,” she goes on. “How may we serve, gentle goddess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I might as well take advantage of this newly-won deference, however I gained it. “Psyche and Eros are to be married,” I say. “As soon as possible. We are here to ask whether you will play host to your daughter’s wedding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche bites her lip. Once again I’m straying from the plan, and being much more imperious than I meant to be. I hope she can understand why I feel the need to assert myself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aristides’s face lights with joy. “Oh! Of course we will host Psyche’s wedding! What a wonderful thing, my daughter!” He shuffles forward and embraces Psyche stiffly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damaris puts her hand to her mouth, and starts to speak before catching herself. “Yes, of course. Psyche, I am very pleased for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nod. “Let us discuss the details, then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aristides agrees cheerfully to Psyche’s few requests, and freely offers to put on an extravagant celebration. “It must be worthy of the gods!” he says, chuckling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His wife says nothing to gainsay him, but her eyes eloquently express her distress and fear. When we have settled the date and the broad outline of the plan, Aristides goes off to consult with his steward about the menu.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My daughter,” Damaris says carefully. “Would you like to wear my bridal veil for your wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Yes, I would like that very much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damaris nods carefully, not looking at me. “It is in my workroom. Do you wish to see?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certainly,” Psyche says. “We will come with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The queen’s mouth tightens, but there’s nothing she can do to get rid of me. Psyche and I agreed ahead of time that I wouldn’t leave her alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We walk down the hall and enter a sunlit room containing a large loom and many baskets hanging on the wall. Damaris rummages in one, and extracts a silk-wrapped package.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your sisters wore this on their wedding days, too,” she says. She opens the package to reveal a large, sheer piece of silk, delicately embroidered around the edges with gold thread. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I remember,” Psyche says, touching it with her fingertips. “I will be honored to wear your veil, Mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The honor is mine, and our house’s, since immortal Zeus has chosen to glorify you. The last time I saw you, you said he was reluctant. May I know how you managed to convince him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was Persephone’s doing,” Psyche replies, smiling. “She performed a great service for Zeus and requested my apotheosis as compensation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see,” the queen says. “You are quite free with your favors, then, goddess? The Unseen One does not object?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My eyes narrow in fury. How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> she imply that I won Psyche’s immortality by seducing Zeus? She doesn’t know me at all. “How long have you been keeping your husband under the influence of ergot and oleander?” I ask, striving to keep my tone casual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damaris’s eyes harden. “I have done what I must to survive, gentle goddess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So do we all. Some of us find certain acts beyond justification, however.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mortal woman switches tactics. “You are not the only woman of this family to attract the attention of a god,” she says, addressing Psyche. Her fists are clenched, as is her jaw. “You are lucky that yours wants to marry you, and is free to do so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche looks quite astonished. She reaches out and grips my hand, tight. “What are you saying, Mother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was brief. I did not hold his interest. After a few times, he stopped coming to see me. He never knew that I was with child.” Damaris’s voice is cold and relentless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Psyche gasps, her eyes wide and lips trembling. I wrap my arm around her. She leans against me, unable to support herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is true. Your sister Calanthe is Zeus’s daughter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I breathe a sigh of relief, and Psyche closes her eyes for a moment. “Does Father know?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am still among the living, so no, he does not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does Calanthe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damaris scowls. “What could it benefit her to know? I have not breathed a word of this to anyone until this day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I--I do not know what to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you condemn me for a whore, daughter, when the same happened to you? And you, Queen of Judgment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche gapes and quivers, unable to speak. I can’t let Damaris’s provocation go completely unanswered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not exactly the same situation, and you know it. However, I will agree that you may have had little choice and I cannot censure you for being caught up with Zeus. Giving herbs to your daughter and husband in order to control them, though? That is far worse. You will answer for that, someday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mortal queen trembles violently, her burning eyes locked on mine. There is nothing she can say, and she knows it. She bows her head: slowly, reluctantly, like a woman nearly ready to snap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Psyche and I sit together on a bench outside the palace gate, watching mortals go about their business. We’re not doing anything to attract attention, so they leave us to process our emotions. I’m waiting for my friend to say something. I’ve had a lot of emotional upheavals lately and I think some quiet is what will best serve her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it like this for you?” Psyche says, echoing my thoughts. “When you learned of your brother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little, although you always knew your sister. This really just changes what you know about your mother, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nods. “Yes. But you learned something shocking about your mother, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cannot really fault her for falling prey to the allure of a god. They can be irresistible, as I well know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” I’ve felt that pull myself, though never as a mortal woman. From stories I’ve heard, it seems they can be a lot more susceptible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And… given that--she had to conceal it. How could she not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was in a very difficult position,” I reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is just so strange.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it is,” I agree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche sighs deeply, and turns to look at me. “Thank you. I am so glad you were there with me. You are my closest friend, and you have been my rock. I am deeply grateful for your compassion on my family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Psyche, you are my closest friend, too. Please don’t speak that way, as if you were praying to me. We are equals, and we always have been. I’d do anything to help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We grab one another in a tight hug, both of us sniffling back tears. I can’t imagine what the passing mortals are thinking, seeing a pair of crying goddesses. I fight down a giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Psyche asks, startled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’re scaring the mortals,” I whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glances around. The people we can see are carefully not looking at us, but hurrying away as fast as they can reasonably go. “Oh! That will never do. Let us walk for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche and I leave the palace behind and walk down the street, toward the city gates. We’re chatting away, both of us releasing our tensions. As we’re walking, I notice a young woman dressed in a pale blue peplos, with a large bag at her feet. Her skin is an ordinary golden-brown, but her hair has purple streaks, which is weird for a mortal woman. I recognize her: it’s Hades’s niece Eileithyia. My niece, too, I guess. And Psyche’s sister’s sister. Family is so weird!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She notices our approach and looks up. “Hello, Auntie. How’s it going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s openly using her phone in the Mortal Realm, leaning up against the wall of a house. I guess as Zeus’s daughter, she can get away with bending the rules. There’s no one nearby, possibly because there are screams and pants and curses coming from inside the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, yourself. Got a birth?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh huh. First-timer in there, taking her sweet time.” She hooks her thumb, indicating the house behind her. A loud, high-pitched wail issues from the building. “Although from the sounds of things, it’ll be soon. Hey Psyche, nice to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you,” Psyche replies. She’s just as uneasy with the pained noises as I am.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys want to hang around? I’m going to use a recycled soul.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hesitate for a moment. It’s already been a fraught day, but I would like to see this end of the rebirth operation. I glance at Psyche, and she shrugs. “Yes, I would like that. If you don’t think the mortals will freak out,” I reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, use a disguise or simple invisibility and they won’t even notice. Births stress them out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nod. I’m getting pretty good at the kind of invisibility she mentioned. It isn’t perfect at all, but mortals shouldn’t be able to see through it. I concentrate on bending the light around myself, and then take Psyche’s arm and do the same for her. “This takes a while to learn,” I tell her. “I’m happy to help you practice, if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out here in the sunlight, I can see her as a faint outline. She holds her arms out and giggles at what she sees. “That is a good trick! I would like to learn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia smiles at us. I’m not sure how old she is, exactly. She looks and acts like a teenager most of the time, but I think she’s older than me. At any rate, I’ve never caught her in any condescending behavior, which makes her company rather enjoyable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon inside, then. This baby’s about to arrive.” Eileithyia picks up her bag and enters the house, not bothering to knock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside we find a large room filled with light. There is a table with stools around it, but no one is here. Another shriek splits the air, coming from the back of the house. We enter the next room, where there is a bed supporting a straining mortal woman. She is tended by two other women, both of them older than she.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia drops her disguise, appearing as a golden goddess much like her mother. “You prayed to me, Teilys, and so I am here. Your child is coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh sweet goddess!” the laboring woman cries. “Please, let my child live! I will die happy knowing my child lives after me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going to die,” Eileithyia says confidently, taking the woman’s hand. “Don’t worry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don’t know about </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” says another voice, very softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m startled to realize that the speaker is a man, and I spot a vague outline leaning through the window from a courtyard outside. I recognize the voice as belonging to Hermes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia glares. “Hush, you,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I cross over to the window. “She doesn’t look to me like she’s dying,” I whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that you, Perse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is</span>
  </em>
  <span> she dying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hard to say. Mortal women often get real close to it when they’re having a baby. I brought the soul and now I’m hanging out in case I have to take the mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, business is slow? You don’t have enough to do as it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His outline moves in a way I can’t define. I imagine he’s shrugging, or squirming in discomfort. “It just seemed efficient,” he mumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it is, but efficiency isn’t always the best measure of success. You’re disturbing these people. Go elsewhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, okay. Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I detect his outline moving away, and then a faint sound as he transfers. I turn back to the scene in the birthing room. The mortals weren’t really aware of Hermes’s presence, or mine for that matter, but they probably had a vague sense of apprehension. All three women seem to relax somewhat, and Eileithyia kneels by the mother’s feet, her open bag by her side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche’s outline moves over next to her, apparently fascinated. I’m interested too, but not enough to want an up-close view. The sounds and smells of the room are plenty for me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The birth, when it happens, involves a great deal of grunting, yelling, and straining, but not much else. Eileithyia gives only a few brief suggestions, and the assisting women hold the mother’s hands and wipe her brow. After some minutes of weird sounds that I don’t investigate, the baby comes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia catches the child, holding it with one arm, then grabs something from her bag with her other hand. I get a brief glimpse of a tiny, shining orb held between her thumb and forefinger. She holds this in front of the infant’s mouth and tickles its foot. The baby inhales sharply, breathing in the orb. I take a step forward, interested. The baby inhales again and begins to squall, waving its arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of this is accomplished very quickly, and apparently to Eileithyia’s satisfaction. She smiles, and lifts the newborn to the mother’s arms. “It’s a girl,” she says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mother’s face opens in a huge smile. “I have a daughter? Oh, she’s so small!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the other women wipes tears from her eyes. “We are eternally grateful to you, goddess. Since the Healer stopped answering prayers we did not know if all the gods had withdrawn their favors from us!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I feel a sick rush of cold guilt gripping my stomach. I know what the woman means. I had never given thought to what would happen to mortals when a god is not available to tend to his duties. Of course I knew that Helios is doing the sun thing on his own, but that </span>
  <em>
    <span>other one</span>
  </em>
  <span> has a great many other domains. I can’t even recall what all of them are.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia studies my outline, her face suffused with sympathy. “No, of course we have not,” she assures the women. “The Archer has other obligations just now, but we still answer. Pray to another, and you will be heard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When we all step outside, I drop the invisibility. Psyche looks very excited. “That was so fascinating!” she says. “The baby’s soul, how did you place it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia grins. “Oh, you could sense that? Well, it’s pretty simple. The body is just a vessel, and needs that spark if it’s going to live. It pulls the soul in, given a chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad to know that it’s that simple,” I say. “Can you tell me, do you hear a lot of complaints about--um…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eileithyia nods reluctantly. “More and more frequently, I’m sorry to say. You know he covers a lot of territory. One of those grasping types, not satisfied with one domain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile a little grimly at her attempt to lighten my mood. She could be describing me just as well, though. I’ve been acquiring a great deal more power lately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At Psyche’s request I take her straight to Aphrodite’s house. She seems a little shaken up still, so I don’t want to leave her until I’m sure she’s in good hands. I accompany her into the kitchen, where we find Eros, Aphrodite, and Ares, sitting around the table putting together little gift bags for the wedding guests, decorating each with dried flowers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Baby!” Eros cries, leaping up. “I’m so glad you’re back, you can help decide which color ribbons to use.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche grabs him in an intense hug. I can feel Aphrodite’s eyes boring into me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” asks the love goddess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m thinking about what to say, framing this carefully so as not to set off the volatile Ares and the even more volatile Aphrodite, but Psyche can’t contain it any longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mother had an affair with Zeus!” she cries. I’m not surprised she couldn’t keep it to herself. When I found myself in a similar situation, I handled it less well than she is doing. “My sister Calanthe is his daughter!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, another sibling,” Ares says, rolling his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” Eros says. “Damn. That’s… well I guess that’s something that happens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With sickening regularity,” Ares says. He picks up his phone and starts to poke it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing? No one is going to discuss this matter with anyone outside this room,” I say, making my voice as firm as I can manage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, does that mean you’re not going to tell Hades?” Aphrodite inquires sweetly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be absurd, of course I will tell Hades. And I think someone should mention it to Zeus as well, to make sure he doesn’t act weird at the wedding. What I meant was that spreading this fact around could endanger Psyche’s mother and would certainly hurt Hera.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aphrodite’s eyes are locked with her lover’s. They are communicating silently, their tense postures saying louder than words that they are unhappy. I’ve known for some time that they are both discontented with the current situation in Olympus. They have stayed quiet since I healed Zeus, but it’s obvious to me now that they haven’t forgotten their reasons for fomenting rebellion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This doesn’t have to be a major problem,” I assert. “This thing happened a long time ago, and is none of our business. As long as Zeus and Damaris can behave themselves, nothing needs to change.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course it changes things,” Ares says. “It’s an insult to my mother. Another slap in her face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She doesn’t need to know,” I say. “She knows what he’s like, and it’s not productive to tell her about yet another instance. And do I have to remind you that the real goal here is for Eros and Psyche to get married? If anything, it’s their decision.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche nods. “Yes, Persephone is right. Please do not talk about this. I am very upset with my mother but I do not wish her ill.” She frowns. “And my sister has children of her own. What would happen to her, if Hera found out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aphrodite sighs deeply and folds her arms. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’ll keep my mouth shut about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ares’s eyes are narrowed and angry. He glares at me resentfully. “Please, Ares,” I say. “You know this isn’t the time. You know your mother is already fully aware of his tendencies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dad,” Eros pleads quietly. “It would hurt Psyche.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ares snarls in his throat. “Fine, what’s another damned lie.” He gets up and stomps from the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I head home to my husband, to give him the news that he has yet another niece.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I drop into my seat at the restaurant Amphitrite chose. I’m not taking off my sunglasses. It’s very bright here, and I need the shield against Hera’s sharp eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s with you?” the golden goddess asks immediately. “Got a hangover?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” I say. I don’t really, but letting her think so will give her reason to excuse my behavior if I start feeling a bit tense. It is not easy to dissemble to Hera.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughs at me. “You had, what, two drinks last night? You need to develop more of a tolerance than that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and then we went home and drank more with dinner. It wasn’t my finest decision ever.” I say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, darling, we can be quieter. Be nice, Hera, don’t you remember what it was like to be young?” Amphitrite teases.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really.” She rolls her eyes a little, but does lower her voice. “I want to commission a new portrait. Of the six of us, I mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A new portrait? Hades and I have already been through three separate photo sessions in the past week, of varying levels of splendor. One of them was next to the waterfall in Elysium, which was both fun and meaningful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> how tedious,” Amphitrite gripes. “Well, if we must, we must.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, new portrait? You want pictures?” I ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I meant a painted portrait, although I suppose taking photos at the same time would be efficient,” says Hera. “Have you ever had a painting done of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shake my head. I thought that sort of thing was just for--oh, wait. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It takes </span>
  <em>
    <span>forever,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Amphitrite says. “You have to show up over and over in the same clothes, for weeks on end, and hold perfectly still. It’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on,” Hera replies. “You can listen to music or audio books or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll mention it to Hades,” I say. I probably shouldn’t commit to anything without discussing it with him. I imagine he won’t be delighted, but will eventually agree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, do that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We subside into silence for a few minutes, studying our menus. After we order, Hera lights a cigarette, politely holding it well away from me. I suppose since we’re having lunch on an outdoor terrace, I can’t complain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Hera begins. “We need to discuss what we’re going to do about your mother, Persephone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I kind of expected this. Hera and Amphitrite have invited me to lunch a number of times. Mostly they’ve stuck to social and family topics and other items of general interest, but now that I’m married they mean business. I’m one of them now and it’s time to start acting like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re taking a number of steps to keep an eye on her management of agriculture, in order to make sure the mortals will have a food supply.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera waves her cigarette. “That’s all very well, but I really meant a more direct confrontation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s my turn to hesitate. Haven’t we already had a direct confrontation? It didn’t seem to be very effective at all. “What is the point of that? She’s not going to listen to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Demeter has been in denial for a very long time. The fact is that marriage is something that happens to most people, for good or ill. In your case, you could hardly have done any better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t deny that, but I think Mother would object to the inevitability idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I don’t get Demeter’s problem,” Amphitrite interjects. “She made one half-hearted attempt to get her own husband, and gave up? I’ve always wondered if she considered herself queen material, and nothing less would do. But if that were true, why did she never make a play for Hades?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I jerk my head back as if I’ve been slapped. A hot needle of pain stabs my temple, and my belly roils with nausea. My visceral reaction to </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea nearly sends me running for the bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Back in the beginning of things, Zeus thought he could push Demeter into Hades’s arms as some kind of mutual consolation prize,” Hera says matter-of-factly. “Neither of them was even slightly amenable. They’ve always been like oil and water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Consolation prize? I wonder what she means. My souring stomach and throbbing headache are robbing me of any sense of patience I might have had. I take a deep breath. “Did you tell my mother about the prophecy?” I ask Hera. “I can’t think who else could have done so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera takes a long puff on her cigarette, looking at me. She exhales a stream of smoke before answering. “Yes, I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see. May I ask why?” I’m trying to hold my temper. Maybe she had a good reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera raises one shoulder dismissively. “She pissed me off. She gave those damned herbs to Thetis, and she never told me. She stabbed me in the back with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My eyes narrow and my heart pounds. I don’t think that’s the whole story. I want to call her out on it, demand a further explanation, but she speaks again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” she says to Amphitrite. “Can you tell me more about this open relationship thing? I want to understand how it works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphitrite looks stunned. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> are interested in opening your relationship? Seriously?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera shrugs again, with more open bitterness this time. “Look. He’s not going to be able to keep this up. The fact is, my relationship is open whether I want it to be or not. I might as well try to cope with that and perhaps establish some ground rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… don’t see how it can work that way, with resentment and imbalance. Is Zeus willing that you should have your freedom, too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! When would I have time? I’ve been sticking to him like glue. I told him, go ahead, screw around, but do it in front of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This raises the question of what he might be up to right this moment, but I don’t ask. “But he promised to do better. Don’t you think he means it?” I ask. I’m perversely curious about this, even though I’m not sure she wants to talk about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera stubs her cigarette out, giving it vicious little grinds and jabs until she’s certain it’s dead. “What do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t afford to wuss out or avoid this topic. “I think you’re still angry with me for choosing as I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smirks ever so slightly. “Spot on. I suppose I should expect no less.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Hera, dear, could you really expect Persephone to choose otherwise? No one wanted a war. Not even you, deep in your heart,” says Amphitrite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know I took a choice away from you,” I say slowly. “I’m deeply resentful of my mother trying to do the same. Please believe that I thought I was taking the best course of action, and that the negative consequences were not intended to hurt you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera stares at me for a long time, while Amphitrite looks back and forth between us with some anxiety, softly biting her lip. No one speaks or moves until the Queen of the Gods finally answers me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spoken like a true queen,” she says. There’s not a trace of emotion on her face. “Say it like it is, and don’t apologize.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m not sure if this is sincere praise, or some kind of subtle dig. “I can’t apologize to you. The choice was given to me and I did the best I could with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hera’s eyes narrow, bright blue irises boring into me like icepicks. “This is not the first time all of our futures have depended on the decisions of someone young and untried. And probably not the last, given the whimsy of the Fates. It’s hardly surprising that your self-interest should take the driver’s seat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our food arrives, and Hera picks up her fork. “So, tell me,” she says coolly. “What are the plans for Eros and Psyche’s wedding? I called them to ask and I couldn’t get a straight answer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I feel a cold chill in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know how I’m going to eat my lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I stride into the office, feeling both annoyed and full of energy. Ready to yell at someone, honestly. Kynora is not at her desk but Epimelis is at his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where is Hades right now?” I ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, welcome back, ma’am. He’s out of the building at the moment but he should return before your appointment with the architects at 4:00.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. No calls, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I go into the office and close the door. I’m very anxious to see my husband. I suppose I’ll get through some emails and reports while I wait. I can’t remember what Hades said he had scheduled for today. If he’s “out of the building” either Epimelis doesn’t know where he is, or was told not to tell me. Which could mean another surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I find myself not minding this. Hades loves giving me gifts, and at this point his feelings for me are completely clear. He thinks of me as his equal, his partner in all things. I can’t begrudge his desire to give me pretty things. Still, I wish he were here for me to talk to, rather than out on some mysterious errand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sigh and bury myself in reports, trying to lose my personal concerns in dealing with business. It works to a certain extent, but all my tension returns when I hear my phone chime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a text from Hades. </span>
  <em>
    <span>On my way back, getting a coffee. Want anything?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No thx, hurry back,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I send.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I think it through. If he goes to his usual coffee place, he’ll be here in ten minutes. I check the time--we have almost an hour until the architects will show up. I head into the bathroom and make sure I’m fully presentable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time I come out I have everything planned. My office formerly seemed so spacious, but with a second desk and chair in it now, it almost feels cramped. I stand between the two desks, which have been arranged facing one another, deciding on a location. I seat myself on Hades’s desk, crossing my legs and straightening my back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t have long to wait. In a minute or two, the door opens and Hades steps through, his eyes widening when he sees me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like you’re feeling better,” he says, closing the door behind him. I’m not sure, but I think he turns the lock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t feel the need for further preliminaries. I get straight to the point. “I want to know. Would you do something for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he replies, quite firmly. He takes a few steps into the room, approaching me slowly. His eyes are hot. He understands my mood very well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don't need to know what it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to know so I can give you what you want, but I don't need to know before I consent.” He stops in front of me, looking down. He’s smiling just a tiny bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see. All right. Kneel for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades quivers, very slightly, and his jaw works, as a light comes into his eyes. “Yes, Mistress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stands for a moment longer, towering over me, then drops gracefully to his knees. He looks into my eyes, waiting for further instructions. I can feel myself getting wet, just by looking at him. I can see the bulge in the front of his trousers and my mouth waters. I uncross my legs, and lean back on my hands. His gaze drops to my thighs and I feel heated. I crave his touch. I know just what I want.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My insides are fluttering with nervous excitement. I part my legs slightly and smile. “I want to feel your mouth on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am always delighted to serve you." He settles his hands on the hem of my skirt and lifts it, exposing the tops of my stockings. “I must say, this is a side to you I haven’t seen much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I scoot forward to the edge of the desk, raising my knees tentatively. Hades grabs my ankles, lifting my feet to his shoulders, and moves in, brushing my inner thighs with delicate kisses. “I’m happy to show you more, if you like it.” I pull my skirt up further, tugging it out from under my butt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reaches the top of my thighs and strokes his tongue along the edge of my panties, torturously slow. With one finger he traces the other edge, the parallel sensations sending my pulse soaring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do enjoy your dedication to your task, but we haven’t got a lot of time,” I say, trying to control my voice. I want to shout and wail. I’m very ready and he’s barely touched me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades sucks on my inner thigh, making me shudder. He pulls my panties down, exposing my mound and then my vulva. The cool air caressing my hot skin makes me gasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that your only reason for hurrying, little goddess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know it’s not!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I lift up and he slides my underpants off, taking them down my legs and out of sight. I have no more patience. I put my hand on the back of his head and encourage him, leaning back on my other hand at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades takes the hint. He settles between my thighs, his strong tongue probing deep inside, his fingers tracing tiny circles around my outer folds. I knead my fingers in his hair, watching him. His eyes are on mine, observing attentively, burning into me. His tongue laps upward, flicking lightly over my throbbing clit, and I suppress a wail. I can’t keep eye contact anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>My head drops back as I melt down onto the desk, allowing myself to relax. I imagine what I look like, all splayed out on the black marble, completely abandoned to propriety, letting my husband lick me </span>
  <em>
    <span>down there.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I bite my lip. In my mind, it looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I'm not sure Hades received the message about the need to hurry. He’s taking his time, exploring my entrance with one finger, circling my clit with his tongue. I quiver, desperately needing direct, prolonged stimulation. He’s doing this deliberately, I realize. He’s making me say what I want.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, I guess I can do that. I raise up a little so I can see him. “Hades,” I wait until his eyes meet mine again. He raises an eyebrow inquiringly and I nearly lose it. I can only see his face down to the upper lip, and feeling what he’s doing and looking at him at the same time is </span>
  <em>
    <span>intense.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “You said you wanted to serve me. The service I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> is to feel your tongue on my clit and your fingers inside me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was really difficult to say, and I feel my cheeks burning, but I don’t look away from him. There’s a suggestion of a mischievous smile to his face, and then he complies with my instruction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I gasp as the shock of pleasure hits me. He’s delving smoothly with two fingers inside me, and I can feel a third finger on the outside, circling, considering joining in. His tongue laps firmly up and down beside my clit, then pauses to jab firmly, directly on my most sensitive spot. I clap my hand over my mouth, containing a cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shiver all over, giving myself up to what turns into a trembly, shallow climax. It would be disappointing if I didn’t know it was just the first round. As an appetizer, it’s quite acceptable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harder,” I whisper, angling Hades’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He obeys, thrusting his fingers in a staccato rhythm. With his free hand he teases the hood of my clit out of the way and just breathes on the exposed nub. I whimper. It feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredible.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Then he flicks the very tip of his tongue, so very delicately, over the eager point and I completely lose it. I shudder violently, a high-pitched whine seizing my throat. The contrast between the intense manipulation of my sex and the barely discernible touch on my clit drives a huge pulsing orgasm through my body. I concentrate every bit of control I have on not making noise. I don’t even notice my fingers convulsively pulling Hades’s hair until the trembles pass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enough!” I gasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I push back on his forehead, but it’s not necessary. He withdraws immediately, his face shiny with my secretions. He’s panting and his pupils are dilated wide. He looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> sexy like that. I want to kiss him, lick his face clean, but I want something else more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> I slide off the desk, turn around, and climb back on. I kneel at the edge and sway my back, then twist to look at my sexy husband.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Take me. Right now!" I demand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Immediately,</span>
  </em>
  <span> my Queen." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaps to his feet and opens his trousers, his thick, hard cock springing free. I’m trying to remember to be quiet, but I can’t help myself. “Oh…” I whimper. “I need you. I need to feel you inside me!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sweetness. I’ll give you what you need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I feel his big hands, gripping my hips, and then the thick head of his cock dragging between my swollen, wet labia. A sharp gasp wrings from my throat. “Don’t tease! I can’t stand it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In answer, he adjusts his angle, then pushes forward, sinking deep. A shock of pleasure jolts down my thighs and my trembling elbows give way. I collapse forward onto my chest and grip the edge of the desk with one hand, placing the other over my mouth to remind myself not to scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades gives me exactly what I asked for. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>takes </span>
  </em>
  <span>me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s steady and deep and fast. I concentrate on keeping my mouth closed and making only the softest sounds: frantic fast breaths, tiny whimpers. I’m extremely close already and I can’t afford to completely lose control, or I will embarrass both of us. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The delicious pressure of Hades’s cock filling me is almost the only sensation I can feel: his hands are holding my hips steady but there’s no more contact between us than that. There’s something wild and dirty and depraved about this. Combined with the fact that we’re still fully dressed, and doing it on his desk, in our office, with people presumably nearby, is making my head spin. Deep tingling sensations flood through my core, spreading heat through all my limbs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this what you wanted, Persephone?” Hades murmurs. “To be taken like this, in front of the windows? Do you know how hot you are, with your ass in the air and your skirt around your waist? I never realized what a naughty girl you are!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His words intensify the flames of desire shooting through my veins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, yes I am. Harder!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sway back against him, helping his thrusts, and look over my shoulder at him. He sees me looking and grins, then bends down slowly. Even at this moment when he’s giving me the hard, deep pounding I asked for, he can’t resist teasing me a little. He’s making me think he’s coming in for a kiss but still taking his time. I lick my lips in anticipation, pushing up on my forearms to get closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dangling tie tickles my arm and for some reason I grab it and pull. Hades makes a squawking sound in protest and then a chuckle as he bends forward over me, letting me pull him down. When his face rests against mine, I have his tie wrapped all the way around my fist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to kiss me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I have a choice?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't wait for an answer. His warm lips press to mine and his tongue steals into my mouth. In this position he doesn’t have the room to thrust as hard, but the tradeoff is worth it. His thighs spank against my bottom, smacking me over and over as he moves inside me. His tongue teases mine and he sucks my bottom lip, nipping me tenderly. I moan against his mouth, squirming into his pelvis.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen anything sexier than you, sitting on my desk waiting for me,” Hades pants. “At least not until you turned around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s holding my waist with one hand but the other hand slithers underneath me. He palms one breast, finding my stiff nipple and tugging on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stifle a wail. “No fair,” I gasp. “I can see hardly anything like this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want a new position, Sweetness?” He pauses, looking at me seriously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Don’t stop.” I’m very close. I don’t want to give up the luscious peak that entices me, just out of reach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades resumes kissing me, thrusting as deep as he can, and walking his hand downward, feeling through the folds of my skirt around my middle. The unrelenting motion inside me is sending me spiraling. My fingers claw the desktop and I will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>shriek and he’s so big and hard and I’m so full--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fingers find my clit. It’s all I need.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I clamp my mouth shut tight but still some high-pitched sounds escape me. My whole body is wracked with an orgasmic storm. Waves of hot, tingling bliss convulse my inner muscles, and Hades gulps a huge breath next to my ear. He continues pressing my clit, forcing me to ride through more spasms that are almost torturously intense. I feel him twitching inside me, filling me with his pleasure while I’m still shuddering through mine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hisses softly. “Sexy little goddess. You know how to keep me coming back for more, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I try not to giggle as he pulls out. “It’s not a big secret. I just miss you when you’re gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pats my butt. “Hold still, I’ll get you some tissues.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” My knees are starting to complain about my position, but I don’t want to stain my dress. I stay put and wait, enjoying the warm fuzzy state that envelops me in the wake of that last orgasm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades returns and places a tissue box by my hand. He sits down in his chair, watching me as he straightens his clothes. “How did I get so lucky? I don’t even recognize my life anymore.” He’s still panting a little, and sounds full of wonder and an almost drunken delight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sit up in the center of his desk with a wad of tissues clenched between my thighs. “You’re lucky to get the demanding sort of wife?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> yes. I like your kind of demands.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades takes my panties out of his jacket pocket and hands them to me, making me giggle. There’s no denying his enthusiasm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good thing you remembered to give those back. Otherwise, you’d be walking around with them the rest of today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I considered keeping them as a trophy. Maybe next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I almost laugh and tease some more, but something about his face suggests that he’s not joking. I decide to leave that idea to be explored on another day. I rotate around so I’m facing him, thread my feet through the leg holes of my underpants and start to pull them up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades tilts his head, studying me. “Are you all right, Sweetness? This is not the first time you’ve come back from a lunch with Hera in a weird mood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I’m fine.” Just selfish, apparently. And overly young and capricious. No, that wasn’t about me, was it? I smooth my dress down, and place my feet on Hades’s chair, on either side of his hips. “I think she’s testing me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades frowns in thought, and then nods judiciously. “That sounds about right. Still, if she’s pushing you too hard, I can say something to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! If you do that, I’ve failed.” I pat my hair back into some semblance of order. “She’s figuring out how far she can push me, and I’m figuring out the same about her. And she’s asking lots of questions about the wedding. I think Eros has muffed it already, raising her suspicions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades strokes my calves, massaging them firmly. “She’s very good at picking up unspoken messages. I’m not surprised.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile reassuringly and lean forward to kiss him. “I’m pretty sure I managed to tell her enough to appease her, and make it seem like Eros is just suffering from nerves. I think my lifetime of tap-dancing around my mother’s expectations was good practice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the architects leave, Hades and I are packing up to go home, but Hecate and Sorya step into the office unexpectedly, closing the door behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Sorya says diffidently. “Something has come up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apparently things have been too quiet around here lately,” Hecate adds snarkily. “A rather disgusting story just broke. Naturally it’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chronicle.”</span>
  </em>

</p><p>
  <span>Hades and I exchange a glance. He looks grim and unsurprised. I cross over to Sorya, who hands me her πPad. Hades comes to read over my shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>Bride Queen a Sex Slave According to Mother!</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>An exclusive interview with Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest, reveals that her young daughter, the new Queen of the Underworld, is actually being held against her will, captive to the whim of the depraved ruler of the third realm, the mysterious and dangerous hideout of monsters and dead mortals. Click <a href="http://shorturl.at/djlyC">here</a>  to read the steamy details of the Unseen One’s pleasure palace!</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>
  <span>I sigh deeply, feeling my stomach churn with nausea. I don’t want to read the rest. Hades’s hand is warm and gentle on my shoulder. I can’t look at him. This must hurt him so much, and he doesn’t deserve it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did she really give an interview?” I ask, choking down my disappointment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It seems so,” Hecate replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The good news is that this is easy to refute,” says Sorya. She must see skepticism in my face, because she goes on cautiously. “I mean, the two of you are so obviously in love, anybody who’s been paying attention must know right off that this is nonsense. For everybody else, one good interview will be plenty to show that your mother is wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate nods. “I agree. This is going to backfire hugely on Demeter. Nobody but fringe idiots can believe this in the face of the overwhelming evidence. It will make her look bitter and vindictive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I turn to study Hades’s face. He’s watching me with concern, but I can’t detect any other emotion. I feel a wave of guilt for putting him through yet another emotional onslaught on my behalf. “I guess we can do an interview,” I say doubtfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades nods. “Certainly. Why don’t we do it at the house, and let the interviewer see how we live? Dogs ought to play well, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sorya smiles. “Oh, yes! That sort of personal touch will be fantastic. I’m sure it will generate a huge amount of interest. Will you allow photographs, too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shrug. I’m beyond caring about the invasion to our privacy, at this point. “Why not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hecate and Sorya arrange everything between them, and Friday morning a journalist shows up at the house with a support staff of photographers, lighting, and makeup people. Hades recognized the name of the interviewer, and said she’s well-known and respected. I couldn’t care less. I find this whole exercise to be pointless and grating, but I put on a cheerful face and do my best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We give a lengthy interview, sitting on the couch in the living room, wearing casual clothes, looking just like ordinary people. They shoot scenes of us playing with the dogs, having conversation, making lunch, texting on our phones. Later, we get ready for tonight’s party, and they get some glamour shots of the dressing room and some of my jewels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sorya has been on top of the producer all day, and by the time the journalistic circus packs up to leave, she looks both tired and satisfied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They got some excellent footage. It looks like it’ll be very flattering, and we get final say over the edited product. I think you’ll be pleased,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” I’m pulling on my long gloves. We have to leave very soon if we’re not going to be late. “I’m glad to hear it. I didn’t come across as resentful? Because that’s how I was feeling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not at all. You’re getting very good at projecting what you want people to see, if I may say so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shrug. “Thanks, I guess.” I suppose that’s a useful skill for someone in my position, even if it makes me feel like a phony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hera’s party is a marathon of people, noise, and constant smiling, all in an atmosphere of ornate and formal celebration. It seems like nearly everyone in Olympus is invited, and each of them wants our attention, either out of gossipy interest, or in a few cases, sincere affection. It takes me a long time to loosen up enough to enjoy it.  I’m too wary to allow myself more than one drink, and it isn’t until I get the chance to dance with Hades that I actually relax. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh this is nice,” I murmur against his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s holding me very close, uncaring that the whole room is watching us. “Mm-hmm. Are you finding this party as uncomfortable as I am?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Remind me again why this is better than just one wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know! I feel like they tricked us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We giggle together, forgetting our vexations in the delight of one another’s company. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, at least tomorrow night is </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> party,” Hades says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is fine, really. Although I’m getting really tired of being sneered at by older goddesses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Who is treating you like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile and pat his shoulder. “Oh no, it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad. Just a bit annoying. They’re all just jealous because they lost their chance with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks down at me, his face expressing doubt. “I don’t think that can be the reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No? I do. But don’t worry, I can take it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We take a few more turns around the room, the slight train of my gown flaring out with our dancing. When the song ends, everyone claps politely. I’m hoping to be able to have another dance with my husband, but it’s not to be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zeus and Hera approach us meaningfully, and Hades lets out a tiny groan. We exchange partners, and I grimace my way through one dance with the King of the Gods. Both of us are awkward with self-awareness, and maintaining a stiff distance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand I have to thank you again,” Zeus says. “This is becoming a habit.” He’s referring to the news of Psyche’s sister. I’m glad that Hades took on the task of informing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smile awkwardly. I don’t really like having him in my debt. “I’m a part of the family now, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, of course. You just keep running into some of the rockiest parts of my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, likewise,” I say, relaxing a little. He seems to be handling this situation calmly. “It’s been a complicated year for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Complicated. Yeah, that’s for sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We make weird, stilted small talk after that, and carefully avoid certain topics. I breathe a sigh of relief when Poseidon claims the next dance. This one is much more relaxed and enjoyable. He tells me stories from when he and Hades were younger, and I laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ares approaches me next. We chat about the wedding in cheerful tones, both of us faking completely and both of us knowing it. It’s a relief to dance with Eros after that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your dad is being really weird,” I tell him. “You don’t think he’s going to act out at the wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I think he’ll hold it together that long,” he says. “After that, all bets are off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fantastic. Well, it’s better dealing with one thing at a time, I suppose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah right, Perse. As if I can’t see that you’re juggling dozens of active issues.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t think it’s dozens, but he’s right that my life is tricky right now. When the next song begins, Hermes asks me to dance. We’re chatting about the old days back in the Mortal Realm when I notice Hades approaching, and I completely tune out what Hermes is saying to me. He jumps in surprise when Hades taps his shoulder, but surrenders me gracefully enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I slide into my husband’s arms, delighted to have him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Hades says, his jaw clicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I laugh. “Look at you, being all possessive. That’s adorable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks a tiny bit sheepish. “I’m sorry, Kore. I don’t mean to be one of </span>
  <em>
    <span>those</span>
  </em>
  <span> men. I just really missed you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, I missed you, too. Do you think there’s any chance we can stay together this time? I don’t really want to dance with anybody else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> breach of protocol. If we were that rude, we might not get invited to the next party!” He grins wickedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my goodness! Think how awful it would be to be excluded from these fine entertainments!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can feel him quivering with laughter under my hand, but he keeps his voice controlled. “In all seriousness, people would probably think we’re odd, but I don’t care. I’d much rather be with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, good. I don’t want to have to dance with Zeus again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hades frowns with concern. “He wasn’t rude to you, was he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no! But he’s not the dancer you are. My toes will need a while to recover.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades and I pause in our dancing to have a drink, and I spot Psyche nearby. I excuse myself to go speak to her, and Hades gives me a kiss on the cheek before releasing my hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want to go out for some fresh air?” I ask my friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that would be pleasant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We step outside to the terrace, breathing deep of the pleasantly cool air. It’s a relief after the heat of the ballroom, full of active people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hades told Zeus,” I tell Psyche. “He’ll behave himself. I get the feeling that this is a situation he’s handled before. I think it’ll be all right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche nods, looking relieved. “I do not know how to look Hera in the eye,” she murmurs. “I feel terrible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know what you mean, I had lunch with her the other day. How would it benefit her to know, though? It was so long ago, and it’s not like she has the illusion that he’s been faithful to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that is so. Why does family have to be so complicated?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I try to stifle my laugh, but I can’t. It insists on bursting out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my friend!” Psyche gasps. “I am sorry. I should not be complaining to you about this, when your family has been causing you such pain!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s all right. The more I learn about other people’s lives, the more I realize that everyone’s family is complicated and difficult sometimes. I think both of us are just dealing with a lot of it at once, that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps you are right. It is to be expected that change causes some stress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And just think, after the wedding, you and I will be family!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psyche smiles. “That is true, but in every way that matters, we already are. You are my sister far more than my blood sisters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I have to wipe away a few tears. I put my head on my friend’s shoulder and hug her around the waist as we gaze out into the starry Olympian night.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Beta by Red.</p><p>Follow @VerdiWithin on Twitter for previews and news.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>